Given that brat's personality, however... she would refrain from hovering around Jubelian for her sake...
Just then, Max was reminded of what Jubelian had said: "I want you to take care of Bea tomorrow."
Max still trembled in anger when he thought of the empress. But apart from her, Beatrice was…
He no longer hated her.
Max turned to address Victor.
"Risk your life to protect the princess and her friends,” he instructed.
No matter how dimwitted Victor was, when he heard the mention of the princess' friends, he could still vaguely guess the Handkerchief Lady's identity. He swallowed dryly.
If the Handkerchief Lady was Lady Floyen, His Highness would not look past this... Victor was engulfed in fear.
"I believe in you,” the crown prince said, adding to the knight's guilt. Now, Victor was thoroughly distressed.
Beatrice frowned. She didn’t know what kind of gift she should give Jubelian for her coming-of-age ceremony. Mikhail and the emperor were plotting against her, so should she stay away from Jubelian? She had already decided on staying away from her in the first place, even going so far as to get one of Maximilian's knights to protect her, but still... She couldn't help but feel bitter.
There was no one to protect her... She would have to protect herself. Her mother, the empress, was no longer giving Beatrice any of her attention, and to make matters worse, most of the princess’s aides were her mother’s people.
There wasn’t anyone she could trust, but she didn’t despair. It was fine. She would be needed in the emperor and Mikhail’s plan. They wouldn’t try to get rid of her so soon.
As Beatrice reassured herself, someone interrupted her thoughts.
"Your Royal Ladyship, His Highness the Crown Prince has come to see you."
Beatrice sighed once she heard her maid's voice from outside the door. She suspected that he came to warn her not to get near Jubelian.
As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a man in familiar armor. It couldn’t be that stupid knight named Victor, right?
He took off his helmet. This time, it was Maximilian in there. His expression was serious, and he spoke in a low tone. "I have something to tell you.”
Beatrice nodded. "I know. I won't go near Jubelian during the hunting contest—”
"No.” He looked into her eyes. "Stay close to her.”
Why? Beatrice frowned. She couldn’t understand why he was saying this.
"I’ll send a knight to escort you tomorrow,” he continued.
"An escort?"
Max nodded "Yes. The emperor and empress won't find it strange. It would be a ceremonial thing since this is an official event."
Beatrice understood what he was saying and nodded, immediately assuming that the escort wasn’t for her but for Jubelian. She had been worried about getting Jubelian involved in this scheme, but she was relieved now that Max had found an escort for her.
She didn’t want anything to go wrong, so she would have to explain to her brother what happened with Victor. Whatever the reason, she believed she had done wrong by threatening one of her brother’s subordinates. Right as she was about to reveal the truth and apologize to Max, however, he spoke up once more.
"Don’t worry. Both of you will be safe.”
Beatrice looked up at her brother in disbelief, her eyes trembling. "You've... You’ve picked an escort for me?"
Maximilian frowned. Turning his head to the side, he spoke in a disgruntled manner, "Don't flatter yourself. This way, it's easier to protect Jubelian." Beatrice tried to counter; she was about to spit out that she already knew, but she was interrupted when Maximilian added, "And Jubelian asked me to take care of you during the event."
Beatrice felt her heart begin to swell. Both of her parents were turning away from her, so she thought she had been left to survive the upcoming crises alone. However, her stepbrother—whom she hated so much—was giving her the unexpected news that he would protect her at Jubelian's request. Beatrice choked up, a small sob leaving her.
She thought she was alone all this time, but she wasn’t. The moment she realized this, her eyes began to redden.
Maximilian noticed and took out a handkerchief. "Here,” he said.
The prejudice she held against her stepbrother dissipated into thin air once he offered her this unexpected favor.
"Oh, thank you..." she said, but just as she was about to grab the fabric, Maximilian unfolded it. The clumsy embroidery in the shape of a dragon caught her eye.
"What is this? Did a child make it?” Beatrice questioned, disgruntled that her brother was still holding the handkerchief without giving it away.
"This is a gift from Jubelian," Max said with a smirk.
"Oh, I knew it! I can feel her innocence from it!" Beatrice cried, belatedly correcting herself. Nonetheless, Maximilian's expression remained foul. She carefully watched him, hoping he wouldn’t tell Jubelian what she said...
"I will win tomorrow.”
At his sudden declaration, Beatrice’s brow wrinkled slightly. With his eyes still on her, Maximilian smirked. "So, you just sit still and watch. Don't wander off anywhere."
Hey, why was he telling her what to do all of a sudden? Beatrice had been greatly moved just moments ago, yet he had blown everything away with just a few more careless words. Indignant, she clenched her teeth. "Get out of my room. Now!"
Once he left, she groaned. Then, she flopped onto her bed. Her anger soon subsided, and she recalled what Maximilian had said earlier.
"Don't worry. Both of you will be safe."
Beatrice felt a smile begin to grow on her face. Still, she felt relieved... She prayed for the hunting competition to pass by without any major incidents.
"What is the state of the beast we’ll be using tomorrow?" the emperor asked.
Count Pyrex lifted a brow. "Why don't you take a look, Your Majesty?"
The emperor and the count descended to the cellars. There, they could hear the beast roar. Normally, the emperor would have fled in fear, but he remained calm this time.
"Looks like it's still healthy," he commented.
Once the emperor drew closer, the huge wolf beast reared back. Glancing at the silvery flower in his hand, the emperor adopted a sinister smile. "It's amazing how something called a 'magical beast' yields before a small flower."
Count Pyrex nodded in response. "I was shocked by this as well, Your Majesty."
The emperor gave the count a suspicious look before shaking his head. Well, it didn’t matter where the count got the beast. As far as the emperor was concerned, as long as he had it in his hands and he knew how to control it...